Man rescues dog from frozen river

[cbr6fs]

Just been reading this on the BBC site.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-17005566

I guess i must be foolish as well then because i honestly believe if i was as brave as this guy i'd do exactly the same if it was my dog.

The bloke obviously had a good idea what he was doing as he took off his clothes and crawled as close as he could.

He got both the dog and himself out without any assistance and as he simply carried on, got dressed and went home without any big deal being made, so i find it really strange he is being condemned.


Sure if anyone else jumped straight in fully dressed they'd be crazy, but this guy obviously knew what he was doing and took a calculated risk.


Good on him i say. id buy him a brandy to warm him up.

 

[hedgerowpete]

yep for my dogs i would do the same, cause i know what a big softy i am, rather than go out on th eice , personal if it in the uk so there fore fairly thin i would have smashed the ice on the way out to make a icebreaker of my big bum

 

[mountainm]

My neighbour rescued his from a frozen pond, he put himself in hospital doing it but would no doubt do it again.

 

[Elines]

I guess it's a question of priorities - some people put an animal's life above their own or that of others - that is their choice but it wouldn't be mine

 

[Miyagi]

Thinking with my head, as much as I love my dog, he'd be on his own in that situation. Thinking with my heart, caused he's saved my bacon a few times, I think I'd probably make an attempt at a rescue.

He got himself swept away while swimming in the Almondell Country Park the other week. As he was keeping his head above water and doing a laughable paddling action I just waited for him to scramble ashore further down stream. He came bounding over none the worse for wear and I'd swear he was actually grinning his head off.


Liam

 

[boatman]

Taking clothes off seems a bit silly. If you go into the water even a thin layer of cloth is going to reduce heat loss and the better friction of cloth than skin might have helped in climbing out. And no, wet clothes nor filled boots do not weigh you down in the water. They would be wet with water which weighs the same as the water surrounding them.

 

[roger-uk]

If it was justhe dog an downer fair enough BUT

what about the rescue workers if you get into difficulties. They have no choice but to try and save you or recover the body risking their own lives.

 

[mousey]

Definatley an act of foolish bravery.

I've gone to 'rescue' my dogs from hairy places only to find they are much more capable of extracting themselves than any human could be. I have a feeling they just needed a bit of support/ a feeling their not being left.

Having said that fair play to the guy it's just as well it ended well...

 

[Col_M]

I can't say either way if I'd do it for a dog I owned, it's one of those things that you can say something sat in front of a warm computer screen but you can't predict your actions in the heat of the moment when you see a pet you care for struggling and in potential danger.

Taking clothes off seems a bit silly. If you go into the water even a thin layer of cloth is going to reduce heat loss and the better friction of cloth than skin might have helped in climbing out. And no, wet clothes nor filled boots do not weigh you down in the water. They would be wet with water which weighs the same as the water surrounding them.

While I agree with the grip part, water is the enemy of almost all insulation that isn't of a closed cell construction, once saturated the insulative effect is pretty much negated, I'd guess the effect would be a single figure percentage improvement on bare skin. It's why neoprene is a closed cell foam.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I think the person(s) who photographed & reported him should be condemned............. dog walking snitches, can't stand 'em.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Dry clothes much better at helping you get warm again gone after my idiot a few times, never on thin ice though, Fair play to him for doing what he thought was right and seemingly preparing well for it

 

[Shewie]

I'd have probably done the same if we still had our dog.

 

[sxmolloy]

I imagine I'd have done the same whilst the wife jumped around and flapped her arms.

 

[Jessy11]

I am sure I would do the same for my dogs.

 

[shaggystu]

when i got my dog i made a commitment to do everything i could to look after him and to keep him safe, if i'm not prepared to risk a bit of drowning then either i shouldn't have made that commitment, or i shouldn't let him in the water, fairly simple really.

as it stands i've had to drag mine out of various bodies of water by the scruff of his neck on more than one occasion, he chases the splashes that his paws make as he swims and gets a little carried away but that's my choice, if i want to go and get myself drowned for the sake of my dog then i will and there's no-one teling me otherwise.

If it was justhe dog an downer fair enough BUT

what about the rescue workers if you get into difficulties. They have no choice but to try and save you or recover the body risking their own lives.

of course they have a choice, they chose that career. i imagine that going and retrieving a bloke from the ice would be a much more safe and pleasant days work than going and putting out yet another chip pan fire, if nothing else you're bound to smell a bit better afterwards

 

[MSkiba]

Good on him! He was condemed so that others dont try and follow what he did. So he was right to be condemed. I would of done the same for my dog. Taking clothes off is vital, once you get out you have a better chance of warming back up. I would probably use my Tee shirt to dry myself, then put clothes back on (minus the tee shirt).

Nice to see other dog walkers (two of them?) not helping but stand, gossip and take photo's.

 

[santaman2000]

If it was justhe dog an downer fair enough BUT

what about the rescue workers if you get into difficulties. They have no choice but to try and save you or recover the body risking their own lives.

Not sure about the fire dept. also goes onto the ice to rescue pets.

 

[dwardo]

Just came home to another chewed parcel!! Currently looking for a body of water, preferably frozen to test out my theory.......
Honestly though I would probably be daft enought to atleast try.

 

[Tengu]

He was crazy, no doubt about it.

No dog is worth your life.

Dogs are forever doing stupid things...they are good at getting themselves out of stupid things too.

Also, you have to remember most humans are heavier than most dogs.

 

[Retired Member southey]

But then I would rather risk it for either of our pups than most humans